Valley Center kicks off pact with CSUSM

SAN MARCOS - Nearly 400 Valley Center eighth- and ninth-graders
received an early introduction to college Tuesday, as they grabbed
seats in lecture halls, ate lunch on the lawn and climbed hundreds
of stairs during a tour of Cal State San Marcos.

The students, accompanied by teachers and a handful of district
and school officials, were on the campus to kick off a newly formed
admissions partnership between Valley Center-Pauma Unified School
District and the university.

The program, called the Partnership for Success, guarantees
automatic admission to each student in the high school graduating
class of 2011 and beyond who meets basic college prep requirements
that include passing grades in a range of subjects, such as
English, math, science and foreign language, and taking standard
college entrance exams.

Similar partnerships have been established between the
university and two other districts - San Marcos Unified and
Escondido Union High School. Like Valley Center, Escondido's
current freshmen class is the first group of students eligible for
the program. San Marcos' partnership begins with the class of
2009.

"It's a good thing," said 13-year-old Steven Walters Jr., a
freshman at Valley Center. "I'm trying to prepare myself to where I
can get better grades, so I can go to college."

Steven, like many of his peers touring the campus Tuesday, said
it was his first time visiting the school, even though it was only
about 20 miles west of where he lives.

All of the eighth- and ninth-graders who took the 45-minute
tours are enrolled in the Advancement via Individual Determination
program. Current college students led them around campus, talking
about areas of study, professor-to-student ratios and campus
life.

"It's cool," Steven said. "We get to see what campus is
like."

Steven added that if he meets the program's requirement, he
could be the first person in his family to graduate from college.
Tuesday's trip to Cal State and the partnership, he said, is
pushing him toward achieving that goal.

Melissa Pesichetti, 14, who gathered with about a dozen friends
on the lawn outside the library for lunch, agreed.

The program, she said, has got everyone at school talking about
college and Cal State San Marcos, and thinking about ways that they
can take advantage of the opportunity.

"It feels a little weird," Melissa said. "But when you think
about it, there are only four years."

In addition to providing students with automatic access to a
college campus, Lou Obermeyer, the superintendent of the Valley
Center-Pauma Unified School District, said he hopes to provide
students with financial support as well.

On Tuesday, during a brief ceremony where the students heard
from Obermeyer and Cal State San Marcos President Karen Haynes, the
district was presented with two checks totaling $40,000. The
donations came from the Staples Foundation and the Rincon Band of
Luiseno Mission Indians.

Obermeyer said she hopes that the donations will be the "seed
money" for a larger scholarship and financial assistance
program.

"We want it to grow," she said. "This is the beginning of
financial support for our students."